Balloon for airships.



E. ROTH.

BALLOON FOR AIRSHIPS, APPLICATION FILED FEB. 24, 1911.

1,048,101 Patented Dec.24, 1912.

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFIoE.

EDMUND horn, or ILLFUB'I, ALSACE, GERMANY.

To all whom it may concern." ,I

Be it known that I, EDMUND Born, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, residing at Illfurt,'Alsace, Germany, have invented new and useful Improvements in Balloons for Air-ships, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to a balloon for airships of the non-rigid type. The halloon is divided into a number of chambers in the known manner by cross partitions situated vertically to the longitudinal axis, which chambers communicate with each other for the purpose of equalizing the pressure by means of automatically acting valves, by which arrangement a uniform distribution of the pressure of the gas is obtained .in all parts of the balloon thereby considerably protecting the envelop of the balloon, and my invention consists, firstly, in that valves which are coupled together so that they can all be opened simultaneously from outside the balloon are mounted on valve seats in the said partitions and the said seats are rigidly connected to each other, and secondly, in that the balloon pro er is surrounded by an outer envelop or acket intended to be filled with air and forming an outer undivided ballonet which is provided with a single exhaust valve,

the said outer envelop being connected with the balloon proper by strips of fabric arranged in non-continuous lengths longi- 120 apart. The preferred arrangement of the valves is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, automatic pressure equalizing valves being mounted in slidable boxes which themselves in conjunction with the said pressure equalizing valves constitute valves (hereinafter called box-,valves) that are connected to each other and normallyv held firmly on their seats by springs.

During the filling and emptying of the balloon the box-valves must be opened by hand. This can only be eifected when, the envelop of the balloon is fully stretched.

The actual gasenvelop is for this purpose surrounded y an outer'envelop maintained at an equal distance everywhere therefrom, I which latter envelop before filling as well as during the emptying must be filled with air by means of a pump so that the balloon has the required stretched shape. This air envelop, surroundin the gas balloon on all sides and permitting the manipulation of combination with scribed, has the 'e which has a Specification of Letters Patent. 1 Patented Dec, 24, 1912, Application filed February 24, 1911. Serial No. 610,592.

the box valves, has furthermore the known advantage of powerfully counteractingthe dlfi'uslon of the gas, and furthermore provides an excellent protection against heat. The air-jacketing renders the filled balloon very rigid, inasmuch as it constitutes a bal lonet completely filled with air surround? ing the gas balloon. The air-jacketing completely surrounding the gas balloon and in suitably the working of which is great advantage that any height can be attained whereas according to existing constructions the air-ballonets are calculated for a-definite. height which cannot be exceeded.

In the drawings :Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through the body of the balloon. Fig. 2 is a cross section through the same. -Flg. 3 is a sectional view of a box valve drawn to a largerscale than Figs. 1 and 2. p

The gas balloon a is divided into several separate compartments by cross partitions 1) arranged vertically to its longitudinal axis. Each of these partitions b has a box valve 0. The seats of the box-valves are rigidly connected with each other by tubes 03 with wide longitudinal slots. The box valve 0, shown in section in Fig. 3 comprises a valve disk guide rod f on both sides, and

is normally held centrally between the seats h and i by springs g acting on both sides. The various chambers normally communicate with each other bythe openings in the seats 72. and-i and the intermediate space situated between the wallis and the valve disk e. If on the one side there is a superpressure overcoming the tension of the sprlng 9, then the valve disk 6 will be pressed on to the oppositelylsituated seat and will shut off this compartment during the existence of the superpressure.

plates h and i to form a casing in which'the valve e moves the whole formin the boxvalve 0. The seat of this box va ve is at Z spring m which acts on the guide rod n that carries the said box-valve normally holds the valve firmly on its seat.

.The filling of the balloona is effected through the pipe connect-ion s.

.of the various compartments can only be effected after the box valve 0 has been withdrawn from its seat Z by means of a cord o The cylindrical wall Ir: connects both the valvein an expansion of the tube at (Fig. A

'- The filling which is actuated from the car 1- by pulling the cord As the various valves are connected with each other by a suitable member p which is connected on the one hand to the disk '5 and on the other hand to the disk h, by pulling the cordq all the valves 0 are opened simultaneously and the various com- I partments can be filled.

The. opening of the valves 0 for filling the balloon a by pulling the cord 9 can only be effected when the balloon a. is in its stretched condition. For this purpose the gas balloon a is surrounded by a second envelop t held everywhere at the same distance from the gas envelop a by means of cloth strips u arranged in non-continuous lengths longitudinally of the balloon and 120 apart as shown in Fig.2. The intermediate space 'between the gas envelop and the envelop t is filled with air by means of an air pump '0 provided in thecar 11 until the balloon has attainedits cylindrical working shape.

The air-jacketing situated between the envelops a and t is provided with a. valve to which is automatically opened on the ascension of the balloon so that a portion of the air contained can escape into the outer atmosphere, If the balloon ascends to considerable heights then the gas balloon, which previously in its lower portion a was of the shapeindicated in dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 2, will first assume the full cylindrical shape. On the further rising of the balloon the valve w, the spring of which is sli htly stronger than that of the valve w, wil be opened, so that a portion of the gas can 'esca The valves 0 and the valve 2 connecting the gas balloon with the outer atmosphere are connected by the traction members j through the intermediary of the cords .0 and 'y with the lower portion a of the gas balloon. This connecting member j is so regulated that the valves 0 connecting the various chambers and then the valve 2 are opened when the lower envelop a has assumed the full cylindrical shape. By opening the valve 2 a portion of the gas escapes and any danger of the bursting of the ball00n envelop a is thus avoided.

The emptying of the balloon is efiected by the valve 2. This valve is opened by means of the cord y by pulling on the cord from the car 1'. The ppnll on the cord 9 or the purpose of empty' g the balloon a' must be considerably eater than when filling, in

which case on y the box valves 0 are opened. The cord 9 isoperated by means of a crank a passin over a scale which permits of read- C valves, together, and means operable from 1 outside the balloon for opening all the said valves simultaneously.

2. In a balloon for airships of the nonrigid type divided by transverse partitions into a plurality of compartments, a valve seat in each of the said partitions, rigid connections between the said valve seats, a compound valve mounted on each of the said seats consisting of a box-like structure formed with apertures in each end and within which an automatic pressure equalizing valve is mounted, meansfor coupling the said compound valv'es together, and means operable from outside the balloon for opening all the said valves simultaneously. 3. The combination with a balloon divided transversely into a plurality of compartmentsby partitions in which valves coupled together and operable from outside the balloon are mounted, of an outer undivided envelo or jacket connected to the balloon by strips of fabric arranged longitudinally of the balloon and 120 apart.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. p p a EDMUND ROTH.

' Witnesses: 1

GEo. Gmronn, ARNOLD ZUBER. v 

